Starting Monday, farmers and ranchers will receive nearly 2.5 billion in advance payments from the CAP

MADRID, 13 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will advance, starting next Monday and until November 30, nearly 2,500 million euros to the autonomous communities that have requested funds to make the payment of advances to the beneficiaries of direct aid of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) corresponding to aid applications submitted in 2023.

Specifically, this advance will allow farmers and ranchers to face the beginning of the next agricultural campaign in better conditions, after the difficulties of the last one, marked by drought and economic disruptions derived from the war in Ukraine.

The rest of the direct payments from this CAP campaign must be paid by all regions starting December 1. When the final payment period ends, on June 30, 2024, 4,875 million euros will have been paid in direct aid to the sector.

Agriculture has recalled that under normal conditions, this payment represents the advance of 50% of direct CAP payments. However, in this campaign, Spain asked the European Commission, which has finally authorized it, to increase that advance to 70% in a campaign marked by the deficit in rainfall, among other circumstances, with the aim of providing greater liquidity to farmers and ranchers.

70% which, if used in its entirety by all the autonomous communities, would represent around 3,400 million euros in advances.

The autonomous communities that participate in the pre-financing system of CAP funds, coordinated by the Spanish Agrarian Guarantee Fund (FEGA), have communicated their forecasts for advance payments for an amount close to 2,500 million euros, of which that just over 1.3 billion euros will be paid between October 16 and 20.

The Basque Country, which does not participate in the pre-financing system, also plans to pay advances for direct aid in this 2023 campaign, while the Canary Islands have their own aid model, the so-called Program of specific options for the remoteness and insularity (Posei).

Payment deadlines have been maintained as in previous campaigns, despite the fact that the application period was delayed compared to previous campaigns, since it began on March 1 and lasted until June 30.

In this way, in this 2023 campaign, advances can be paid for basic income support for sustainability and its complementary payments (redistributive payment and payment to young people), eco-regimes and associated aid, with the exception of fattening of calves. and the specific payment for cotton, which can be paid from December 1.